With over 90% of major armed conflicts occurring within biodiversity hotspots between 1950 and 2000, it is no surprise that Socotra, with its unique ecosystem and endemic species like the Dragon Blood tree, finds itself engulfed in conflict fueling further destruction. The archipelago, consisting of Socotra and its neighbouring islands, harbours species found nowhere else on Earth, making it a globally significant hotspot for biodiversity.

While Socotra’s isolation has spared it from the direct ravages of Yemen’s civil war, the encroachment of foreign powers threatens to unravel its delicate balance. The strategic interests of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have brought devastation to this ecological marvel. Over the past six years, the UAE has pursued its ambitions in Yemen, consolidating control over Socotra as part of what experts have termed its “self-styled maritime empire.” This military occupation not only exacerbates the humanitarian crisis but also imperils Socotra’s fragile ecosystem.

Despite international recognition of Socotra’s ecological importance, ongoing conflict has hindered conservation efforts. The Dragon Blood tree, among the oldest surviving endangered forest communities globally, is famous for its bright red resin “Dragon’s Blood” and umbrella-shaped canopy. Endemic to the Socotra Archipelago in Yemen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, these trees face near-extinction elsewhere. Over the last two decades, their population has substantially declined, endangering their existence.

UAE’s Military Activities on the Island

Funding for environmental protection has dried up, leaving native initiatives to save the Dragon Blood tree languishing. The Socotra Environmental Protection Authority, once a beacon of hope for conservation, now struggles to operate amidst the chaos of war. The conversion of the Authority’s building into a military headquarters by Saudi Arabia symbolizes the prioritization of conflict over conservation. Socotra’s residents witness their natural heritage being sidelined as the island becomes a pawn in geopolitical power struggles. 

The Independent reportedly found UAE building a military base, communications networks and tourist resorts in efforts to turn Socotra into ‘a permanent military outpost-cum-holiday resort’. In preparation for welcoming more Emirati visitors, many parts of the island have already been bulldozed to build holiday resorts and other tourist infrastructure. The island is a biodiversity hotspot, home to 700 endemic species, and 70 percent of its land is protected. These infrastructure projects went ahead without conducting environmental impact assessments, such as undertaking construction to expand the Hulaf Port, the only seaport to the Socotra island, of which the UAE reportedly has control now.

UAE-Israel Military Alliance in Socotra

The UAE’s alliance with Israel further endangers Socotra’s future, introducing new dynamics to an already volatile region. After the signing of the highly controversial Abraham Accords in 2020 solemnizing the normalization of ties between the UAE and Israel, Socotran locals witnessed an influx of Israeli ‘tourists’ on the islands, which later reports found to be Israeli military experts instead.    

In tandem, satellite imagery appeared in 2022 of a new mysterious military base on the island of Perim, another Yemeni island, displacing local fishermen and inhabitants. Similarly, in March 2024, a satellite image of yet another airstrip appeared on Yemen’s Abd-Al Kuri island, with “I Love UAE” written next to it with piles of dirt. Recent Google Earth satellite imagery shows the same airstrip labelled “US Air Base”. In light of these events, some have accused the UAE of establishing a military intelligence hub and missile defence system on the eco-fragile islands, which is also a crucial oil trading route, in partnership with Israel and the US. 

With waning international funding for conservation and UAE’s increasing military presence and touristic infrastructure development, the spectre of extinction looms larger for the Dragon Blood tree, revered as a symbol of Socotra’s resilience. The loss of this endemic tree would be not only an ecological tragedy but also a cultural one, erasing centuries of heritage tied to Socotra’s unique environment, reflecting yet another case of loss of sacred creation at the hands of a few humans in their greed for power, resources and dominance. 

Efforts to protect Socotra transcend borders and ideologies. It requires international cooperation to safeguard this environmental jewel for future generations. Diplomatic pressure must halt the archipelago’s militarization and ensure ongoing conservation efforts. Without collective action for the preservation of its rich biodiversity, including at a bare minimum advocating against the militarism advanced by UAE and allies, Socotra risks succumbing to human conflict and greed. Its fate symbolizes the broader struggle between conservation and exploitation, peace and conflict. 

The post The UAE-Israeli Military Alliance Threatens Yemen’s Environmental Jewel in Socotra appeared first on Muslim Climate Watch.

The ongoing genocide and colonization in Palestine interconnect layers of climate issues, social justice, and public health crises; issues central to my demographic and expressed through our voting choices. My community has done and will continue to do everything to make sure we are heard in the elections.

Like many of my fellow Arabs, Muslims and allies, I am shattered by the active genocide of my people in Gaza. This feeling is especially intensified as we begin fasting for the holy month of Ramadan this week. With over 155 days of Israeli bombardment in Gaza, innocent Palestinians endure daily massacres and starvation, facilitated with help from the U.S. Hunger, climate oppression and environmental warfare are weapons of genocide actively being employed by Israel in Gaza. 

Read More: Israeli Bombs Pushing Towards Climate Devastation

Despite a majority of Americans calling for a ceasefire, the Biden Administration has used its veto power in the UN Security Council to stop an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.  It has also failed to allow the safe delivery of humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza, all while supplying Israel with the weapons killing Palestinians, my people. These actions are not only directly enabling a genocide, but are also contributing heavily to the climate crisis. 

The climate cost of the first 60 days of Israel’s military response was equivalent to burning at least 150,000 tonnes of coal. It is greater than the annual carbon footprint of more than 20 of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, this being a significant underestimate. This underscores the urgency for climate justice as historical and current polluters continue to exacerbate climate conditions for vulnerable front-line communities.

Following the significant ‘uncommitted’ votes, the U.S. rushed in to airdrop aid in Gaza, which not only has been criticized as hypocritical, but also reported to be costly, inefficient, and even deadly. Parachutes carrying the aid malfunctioned and killed Palestinians. Disaster relief experts have touted that these are not meaningful enough to make a dent in the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel and the U.S. 

Another attempt at regaining trust with my demographic, and likely a direct response to the uncommitted campaign, manifested at Biden’s State of the Union address, where the President announced that the U.S. will build a temporary port on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast to receive humanitarian aid by sea. President Biden’s attempts are not nearly enough to stave off his blatant hypocrisy. Moreso, some experts have reported that this temporary port could potentially be an opportunity for the U.S. to extract natural gas from Gaza, amidst a climate emergency when countries are divesting from fossil fuels. 

Extensive and unprecedented destruction has targeted agricultural lands housing perennial trees like olives and citrus fruits, as well as field crops like vegetables. A report by Lawfare said, “the legally proportionate collateral damage by lethal weapons used in civilian populated areas would be thoroughly immoral.” Israel has also dropped white phosphorus on Gaza and Lebanon, a chemical that is not only excruciatingly painful but also greatly harms the environment deep within the soil.

Read More: Israel’s Water Apartheid Policies in the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza Strip

Ongoing airstrikes and a lack of electricity or fuel are causing Gaza’s water and sewage management facility to remain untreated, releasing 130,000 cubic meters of untreated sewage into the Mediterranean Sea every day. However, climate change does not recognize borders and political arrangements, and environmental degradation in Palestine will make its way to Israeli settler territories. 

Gaza also had one of the world’s highest densities of solar rooftop installations. However, the current war has destroyed these solar systems, with 17 of the 29 largest rooftop solar installations either completely destroyed or displaying significant external damage. By denying Palestinians the ability to employ climate mitigation and adaptation efforts, Israel is committing climate apartheid.

The Israeli Occupation Forces have not only blocked humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, but they have intentionally massacred Palestinian civilians as they tried to obtain food from the few trucks that were permitted to enter, inciting the “flour massacre.” Israeli settlers have protested and blocked humanitarian trucks from entering, with 72 percent of Israelis opposing providing humanitarian aid to Gaza according to a survey conducted for Israel’s Channel 12 television. Gaza is now facing famine with at least 800,000 Palestinians starving to death and more than a dozen children dead due to malnutrition. 

Our vote is a protest demanding for the decision-makers of this country to hear us, especially as my fellow Muslims in Gaza continue to suffer during our holiest month. Ramadan has come at the most sensitive of times, and Biden has betrayed his supporters to enable the ongoing massacre of my people. The focus in Gaza this Ramadan, like the rest of the Muslim world, should have been on prayer and spirituality. Instead, they must prioritize survival as they become victims of famine and extreme living conditions worsened by a climate crisis exacerbated by Israel.

Come November, any candidate who wants to represent my demographic will need to earn our vote. This will only happen if U.S. stops the genocide, and urgently addresses the interlocking humanitarian, climate and public health crises. The U.S. must not only acknowledge but halt its policy to ethnically cleanse Palestinians to get our vote.

The colonization of a people and land isn’t a “single-issue.’ I reject any notion that my community and our allies are not clear-eyed about what is at stake this November. We are raising the alarms to stop the crises that are impacting all of us and we’re not being heard. 

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Muslim Climate Watch’s editorial stance.

The post Uncommitted: Arab American & Muslim Voices Unite for a Ceasefire & Climate Justice in Palestine appeared first on Muslim Climate Watch.

Palestinians suffer from extreme water shortages due to discriminatory Israeli policies, which include restrictions on drilling new water wells, installing pumps, or deepening existing wells without Israeli permits. Additionally, they are denied access to the Jordan River and freshwater springs and face discriminatory regulations on rainwater collection and harvesting.

Policies of Water Apartheid

Israel imposed stringent bans and restrictions on the Palestinian water sector immediately after its occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip in June 1967. The Israeli military authorities centralized full control over all water resources and water-related infrastructure in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). In November 1967, Military Order 158 was issued by Israeli authorities, mandating that Palestinians must obtain permits from the Israeli army to construct any new water installations. Palestinians were then obligated to seek Israeli permission to drill new wells. However, such permits were granted sparingly which intensified the difficulties faced by Palestinians in accessing water resources.

Joint Water Committee

The Joint Water Committee (JWC), established under the Oslo Accords, oversees water resource management in the West Bank. Established for a five-year interim period that was supposed to end in 1999, the committee continues to date due to the absence of a permanent status agreement for the OPT. It oversees water resource management in the West Bank, excluding the Jordan River.  

Read More: Seeds of Resilience in Palestinian Agriculture

Obtaining approval from the JWC is just the initial step for Palestinians undertaking water projects in the West Bank. The three zones of the West Bank, Area A, B and C were established after the Oslo Accords, with Area C being contiguous and covering over 60% of the West Bank. Following JWC approval, additional permits from the Israeli army are required before commencing any work in Area C.

Many applications are rejected, delayed, or simply ignored for days. Even with permits, the execution of work hinges on the Israeli army’s evaluation of “security considerations” in the specific location. Areas can be restricted to Palestinians for hours to weeks or longer, based on the Israeli army’s obscure security assessments. For example, repairing pipes connecting various sections of Area C and linking villages to wells necessitates obtaining separate permits for each area. The execution of this work is contingent on the Israeli army’s assessment of the so-called security considerations in the planned areas. Initiating such projects without prior approval leads to their suspension or demolition by the Israeli army.

Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement

In 1995, Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) signed the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, however, it failed to adequately address the Palestinians’ needs. Since the signing, Israel has extracted up to three times the amount from the Eastern Aquifer than initially agreed upon. In contrast, Palestinian withdrawals from the Eastern Aquifer have decreased, dropping from 138 million cubic meters (MCM) to 84 MCM in less than a decade. This decline is partially attributed to a decline in the water table potentially influenced by excessive Israeli extraction.

Read More: Climate Oppression, Eco-Apartheid & Palestinian Occupation

A major flaw in the Interim Agreement is the false equivalence of power dynamics between Israel and the Palestinians, with a complete disregard for the reality of Palestinian occupation. The agreement uses language suggesting two analogous water sectors—one Israeli and the other Palestinian—creating an illusion of joint monitoring and sharing of resources between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. 

While limiting Palestinians’ access to water, Israel has actively expanded its own water infrastructure and network in the West Bank to serve its citizens both in Israel and in settlements despite being illegal under international law. Mekorot, the state-owned Israeli water company, has systematically drilled wells and tapped springs in the occupied West Bank to provide water for domestic, agricultural, and industrial purposes, including to Israeli settlers residing in illegal settlements.

Consequences for the Palestinian Community

As many as 180 rural Palestinian communities lack access to running water. Similarly, up to 97% of the water supply in Gaza is heavily contaminated. Numerous Palestinian communities in the West Bank are compelled to buy water from mobile trucks operated independently by Palestinians, accruing heavy costs. In some impoverished communities, water expenses can constitute up to half of a family’s monthly income. Moreover, Palestinian farmers have been forced to constantly vary their crops due to a lack of sufficient water supply.

Read More: Israeli Bombs Pushing Towards Climate Devastation

Breach of Agreements

Most of the arrangements stipulated in the Interim Agreement have not been implemented to this day. Almost 30 years after the agreement was signed, the Palestinians are still not able to pump the agreed amounts of water. Additionally, the JWC has become a tool for promoting Israeli interests only, whereas the failure of the Interim Agreement to ensure joint supervision and enforcement of water resources has left Israel with the sole enforcement powers. 

The contrast between the water supply enjoyed by Israeli citizens and the deliberate shortages imposed on Palestinians exposes a system of inequity and apartheid faced by Palestinians under Israeli occupation. Israel’s unilateral control over Palestine’s water resources, coupled with a failure to uphold agreements, perpetuates a cycle of hardship for Palestinians. The water crisis not only reflects the power imbalances inherent in Israel’s occupation of Palestine leading to decades of conflict but also underscores the urgent need for international intervention to end the occupation, policies of apartheid and a reassessment of agreements to ensure a just and sustainable water distribution system in the region.

The post Israel’s Water Apartheid Policies in the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza Strip appeared first on Muslim Climate Watch.

Read More: Climate Oppression, Eco-Apartheid & Palestinian Occupation

In addition to the ongoing humanitarian disaster and genocide of the Palestinian population, Israel’s bombing of Gaza is pushing us towards a climate catastrophe. The vast amount of explosives and the emissions produced as a result risks pushing the Earth beyond planetary boundaries, causing irreversible environmental damage. With the support of major Western powers such as the US and the UK, Israel is committing war crimes and destroying the planet in the process. 

US Funding Genocide & Global Climate Devastation

The United States (US) continued and unequivocal support of Israel through diplomatic, military, and financial means, alongside rejecting calls for a ceasefire has enabled Israel to act with impunity. Artillery & machinery from US companies including Woodward Inc, and General Nucleonics are being used in the current and past attacks on Gaza. At the time of writing, Israel has dropped over 25,000 tonnes of explosives on Gaza since October 7, 2023, equal to two nuclear bombs. With the number of children killed in Gaza in the past month surpassing annual child death tolls across all conflict zones as of 2019, the devastation of continued violence cannot be overstated. 

Israel’s use of white phosphorus in the Gaza Strip, illegal under Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (1980), has been extensively reported by Human Rights Watch. Under the Protocol, the use of incendiary weapons and devices on civilian populations is strictly prohibited. Despite the existence of these international conventions and laws, Israel continues to bomb the besieged strip while the civilians have nowhere to go. 

Every dollar the US spends on the military increases global GHG emissions while diverting financial resources, skills and attention away from addressing climate change.

Environmental Consequences 

Israel’s use of white phosphorus also represents an environmental concern, causing widespread contamination of soil, water, and air. The toxic pollution and contamination produced by missiles, bombs and white phosphorus cause long-term environmental harm, affecting local ecosystems and wildlife. For a population already suffering under occupation and complete blockade, the contamination of food supplies by white phosphorus and bombs is devastating, increasing food insecurity and vulnerability of the population.

The relentless bombing of Gaza is pushing the Earth beyond its planetary boundaries—the environmental limits beyond which the Earth is at risk of irreversible change and environmental degradation. 

The excessive bombing of Gaza has led to an increase in GHG emissions contributing to global warming and climate change. Widespread destruction caused by the bombings has reduced vegetation and biodiversity, disrupting the local ecosystems and contributing to the advancement of land system changes. The destruction of infrastructure further advances ecological thresholds, through the need to rebuild and intensive resource use, further increasing emissions. Similarly, the targeting of hospitals, schools and sanitation systems necessitates extensive rebuilding efforts in the aftermath of violence. These often require the extraction of resources, placing greater pressure on already scarce resources.  

Prioritizing War Over Climate Action

Despite persistent calls from the scientific and climate community for the urgent need for climate action, Western countries continue to support military operations fuelling climate crisis, instead of allocating funds to climate action. World militaries account for 6% of global GHG emissions, with the US military alone being the largest institutional source of GHG emissions. 

America’s $158 billion in bilateral assistance in the form of military aid and missile defence funding to Israel, showcases US complicity in Israel’s war crimes and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians as well as projecting the nation’s focus on geopolitics as opposed to climate change and action. 

The Biden administration is knowingly investing US taxpayer money towards a genocidal apartheid regime when the promised $100 billion of annual climate finance funding to developing nations bearing the brunt of climate change remains unfulfilled.

References

• https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/12/us-top-diplomat-blinken-visits-israel-urges-protection-of-gaza-civilians
• https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/12/israel-says-6000-bombs-dropped-on-gaza-as-war-with-hamas-nears-a-week
• https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/10/12/questions-and-answers-israels-use-white-phosphorus-gaza-and-lebanon
• https://www.instagram.com/p/CyvNJfto1YK/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D
• https://bonpote.com/en/the-5th-planetary-boundary-has-been-officially-crossed-and-nobody-cares/
• https://www.arij.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/The-environmental-impact-of-Israeli-military.pdf
• https://www.pbs.org/wnet/peril-and-promise/2022/01/militaries-produce-6-of-ghgs-but-theyre-not-required-to-report-it/
• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-20415675#
• https://www.woodward.com/en/shop/woodward44-missile-actuation
• https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/23/gaza-death-toll-exceeds-5000-as-israel-continues-daily-bombardments#:~:text=Children%20make%20up%2040%20percent,to%20Gaza%27s%20Ministry%20of%20Health.
• https://sgp.fas.org/crs/mideast/RL33222.pdf
• https://www.marketplace.org/2023/10/23/a-look-at-the-history-of-u-s-aid-to-israel/#
• https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02846-3
• https://www.tni.org/en/publication/climate-collateral
• https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/non-proliferation/hiroshima,-nagasaki,-and-subsequent-weapons-testin.aspx#:~:text=On%20this%20basis%20of%20comparison,was%20of%2025%20kilotons%20(ca.
• https://www.instagram.com/p/CyyieC7os9i/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng%3D%3D
• https://www.instagram.com/p/CyvNJfto1YK/

The post Israeli Bombs Pushing Towards Climate Devastation appeared first on Muslim Climate Watch.

On September 11th, northeastern Libya was struck by the Mediterranean Storm Daniel. The coastal city of Derna became the center of a catastrophic flood when two of its dams broke due to the storm, dumping an estimated 30 million cubic meters of water in the city [1]. This resulted in the widespread devastation of entire communities in coastal towns being carried into the sea. 

This disaster has violently claimed approximately 11,300 lives, with more than 10,000 people still missing, and over 40,000 people forced to flee the region [2]. Reports from the ground suggest many of these victims remain shelterless, without access to necessities of food, clean water or power, with a looming risk of an escalation in water-born infectious diseases proliferating among the survivors living near stagnant flood water [2]. 

Flood experts have observed that the recent exceptionally heavy rainfall across the Mediterranean was worsened by climate change, thus amplifying Storm Daniel [3]. While the evident devastation is severe, the full extent of destruction will only become apparent once relief groups can reach areas currently inaccessible due to destroyed bridges and roads [6].   

The residents of Derna are tragic victims of a deadly interplay between human-caused climate change and ongoing proxy wars led by actors with a vested interest in the region, while also benefiting from the country’s rich resources including massive oil reserves and a multi-billion dollar war industry that thrives on conflict. Derna’s front-line community has paid an insurmountable price for an ecological crisis made worse due to wars and now copes with finding the strength to pick up what little is left. 

Derna’s Vulnerability to Floods

Derna is a port city on the Mediterranean coast, located in Wadi Derna, a river valley in northeastern Libya surrounded by the Akhdar Mountains [4]. It was no secret that this town remained highly vulnerable to floods given its location. To protect the city from inundation, two dams, Abu Mansour and Derna, were built in 1970 above the valley, each holding 22.5 million cubic meters and 1.5 million cubic meters of water respectively [1]. 

Despite many warnings of an imminent risk of disaster, the dams had not been maintained for years, leading to their eventual burst and killing thousands [5]. Although a Turkish company was contracted between 2007 and 2012 to repair these dams, it was later found that the work could not be completed amidst security concerns. In 2011 NATO led a military invasion of Libya, bombarding 9,600 strikes on various targets, and removing its former ruler, Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi, which then resulted in the outbreak of civil wars and continued political instability [5]. 

(New York Times, 2023)

War & Political Divide Fuelling Climate Vulnerability

Libya’s current disaster has been intensified by the convergence of climate change and the repercussions of a bloody civil war, set in motion by NATO supporting uprising against Colonel Gaddafi, in particular its bombardment of the country’s key government institutions, resulting in the ongoing political divide that is fueling a governance crisis in the country [3] [11]. 

It has been more than a decade since NATO invaded Libya, erupting a civil war that has since grappled the country with violence amidst a deep political divide and a power struggle. 

The severity of Derna’s floods and its subsequent devastation has been driven by an amalgamation of civil war characterized by an ongoing political divide and a worsening climate crisis [11]. With key government institutions not functioning, there were no steps taken to effectively implement disaster preparedness, nor was there a functioning storm warning mechanism in place issuing clear communication to vulnerable populations, ensuring timely and mandatory evacuation [5]. 

This past decade in Libya has been mired with constant civil wars that have claimed many innocent lives. On top of braving the burdens of civil unrest, Libyan people are now front-line to the violence of climate change.

Evidence suggests that the communities engulfed in war and armed conflict are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to the strained adaptive capacity of its people, systems and institutions that are struggling to cope with the direct impacts of the conflict [12]. 

Libya’s climate vulnerability is compounded by NATO’s damaging legacy, its bombardment of the country, and the subsequent civil wars still ravaging the country. 

Climate Action Must Include Divesting from War

NATO’s overthrowing of Gaddafi’s 42-year-long government led to years of political instability that persists to this day. Experts provide evidence of the presumed interests of several foreign elements in the region, making Libya an active ground of proxy wars with the involvement of various countries [13]. At the center of this ongoing conflict are the Libyan people who are in dire need of political stability, and particularly attention to building climate resilience to avoid disasters like the devastating floods in Derna.

While governments around the world take steps towards making climate action their priority, the war industry continues to bloom despite its evident destructive legacy and heavy carbon footprint. 

The global war industry is a lucrative multi-billion dollar enterprise that reaps high volumes of profits. However, its monetary gains are not the only factor driving its success—the arms business also serves as a key instrument leveraged by governments around the world to steer foreign policy in preferred directions [7]. 

Some experts claim that this industry is particularly instrumental in Washington’s foreign policy, evidenced by the fact that it is the largest exporter of arms in the world. The U.S., a founding NATO member, provided over 40% of the world’s weapons in 2021, and its share has consistently increased in the last few years [7]. Together with the U.S., other major exporters of weapons include France, Russia and Italy—predominantly nations of the Global North. 

(Council on Foreign Relations, 2023)

The war industry thrives on destruction with conflict at the core of its business model: conflict creates more demand for profitable arms sales, which in turn causes more destruction leading to more conflict, and the vicious cycle continues. 

During the Libyan civil unrest, U.S. arms have made their way into the hands of militia groups fighting for power [9]. Similarly, arms from other key global exporters of weapons, such as Russia and France, have also been found in Libya [9] [10]. 

Not only does war exacerbate the impacts of climate change by fueling vulnerability and undermining resilience to withstand threats of extreme weather events, but it also leaves behind a significant carbon footprint. The U.S. military is the single largest institutional consumer of oil, and therefore, the biggest institutional source of greenhouse gas emissions in the world [8]. 

Divesting from the multi-billion dollar military complex is a necessary urgent step for combating climate change. Instead of continuing to invest in a destructive industry that also contributes significantly to carbon emissions, the Global North, particularly the U.S., must start investing in just and equitable climate solutions that aim to provide dignified lives to all humans. 

References

1. AP News. (2023). Libya was mired in chaos and corruption. For years, warnings the Derna dams may burst went unheeded. Article. https://apnews.com/article/libya-derna-dams-collapse-floods-corruption-neglect-chaos-45f76d2ac76be634865539a27b518ada#:~:text=The%20warnings%20came%20true%20in,entire%20neighborhoods%20out%20to%20sea
2. France 24. (2023). UN says death toll at least 11,300 in Libya’s flood-hit Derna. Article. https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230917-aid-arrives-as-libya-copes-with-flooding-aftermath
3. Nature. (2023). Libya floods: how climate change intensified the death and devastation. Article https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02899-6#:~:text=Climate%20change%2C%20civil%20war%20and,worst%20flooding%20ever%2C%20researchers%20say. 
4. Encyclopedia Britannica. (2023). Derna, Libya. https://www.britannica.com/place/Darnah 
5. Reuters. (2023). Insight: ‘They knew’ – fury of Libyans that warnings went unheeded before flood. Article. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/they-knew-fury-libyans-that-warnings-went-unheeded-before-flood-2023-09-15/ 
6. Center for Disaster Philanthropy. (2023). 2023 Libya Floods. https://disasterphilanthropy.org/disasters/2023-libya-floods/ 
7. Council on Foreign Relations. (2022). The Cost of the US Arms Trade. Podcast. https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/cost-us-arms-trade 
8. Watson Institute, International and Public Affairs, Brown University. (2023). Pentagon Fuel Use, Climate Change, And The Costs Of War. Website. https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/papers/ClimateChangeandCostofWar 
9. The New York Times. (2019). American Missiles Found in Libyan Rebel Compound. Article. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/28/world/africa/libya-american-missiles.html 
10. EU Observer. (2020). Why do EU arms end up in Libya despite UN ban? Article. https://euobserver.com/world/147256 
11. Tricontinental Institute. (2023). NATO Destroyed Libya in 2011; Storm Daniel Came to Sweep Up the Remains: The Thirty-Eighth Newsletter. Article. https://thetricontinental.org/newsletterissue/libya-floods/ 
12. International Committee of the Red Cross. (2020). When rain turns to dust. Report. https://www.icrc.org/en/publication/4487-when-rain-turns-dust 
13. United States Institute of Peace. (2020). Four Things to Know About Libya’s Conflict and Foreign Interference. Article. https://www.usip.org/publications/2020/07/four-things-know-about-libyas-conflict-and-foreign-interference

The post The Libya Floods Are a Deadly Interplay of War & Climate appeared first on Muslim Climate Watch.